No elections likely at GCCI for second year in a row

TNN | Updated: Jun 9, 2019, 9:59 IST

Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry

AHMEDABAD: No elections are likely at the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) for the second year in a row. As most members have withdrawn their nominations one after the other, members are likely to be elected without contest. Even in 2018, there were no elections at the industry body as all the candidates were elected unopposed. A well-placed source in GCCI confirmed that three members who were contesting for the general category - local and outstation - withdrew their nominations late on Friday. "Naresh Shah and Rakesh Patel, who were contesting for general category-local, withdrew their nominations on Friday. The candidate for general category-outstation, Raxit Kothari, also withdrew his nomination on Friday. This leaves exactly 12 candidates for the 12 seats under general category - local and outstation," said the source. Yet another source privy to the development confirmed that Narsingh Agrawal, who was one of the two candidates for one seat under the life/patron category-outstation, has also withdrawn his nomination. Earlier this week, there was furore over the formation of a panel for jointly campaigning for the GCCI elections. After a group of eight candidates formed 'Vikas Panel', members alleged that their names were being misused because yet another list of candidates comprising names of Naresh Patel, Rakesh Patel and Narsingh Agrawal in addition to a few members of Vikas Panel was being circulated among GCCI members. When the final list of candidates was announced on Tuesday, after the scrutiny of forms, the only contest that had remained was in the general and life/patron categories, as bigwigs contesting for key posts of senior vice-president, vice-president and those in the corporate category, were the lone contenders for the respective posts. The tables turned when Hemant Shah, the incumbent vice-president, who was contesting for the post of senior vice-president, withdrew his nomination about 10 days ago.

When contacted, Hasmukh Hingu, deputy secretary general, GCCI, said, "We have received applications for withdrawing nominations for some of the candidates. After necessary scrutiny, we will declare the list on Monday." There will be no contest even for the some six posts of co-chairperson as well as working committee of the GCCI Business Women Wing (BWW) as well.